Campaign finance · Texas
OIL MONEY.TEXAS POWER.
Over their careers, oil and gas has given more money to the leaders of the Texas Republican establishment—Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and would-be Sen. Ken Paxton—than any other industry has. How much? Keep reading.
Greg Abbott
Texans for Greg Abbott, since 2001
Oil and gas is 16.3% of the $507.8 million raised.
Dan Patrick
Texans for Dan Patrick, since 2008
Oil and gas is 14.6% of the $129.4 million raised.
Ken Paxton
His own campaigns, since 2002
Oil and gas is 13.5% of the $79.8 million raised.
Whole careers
Total raised, the oil and gas share, and the next-largest industry. The narrower definition is OpenSecrets' own, which leaves out pipelines, petrochemical makers and fuel distributors. The share with judgment calls dropped leaves out every donor whose classification rests on a family tie or a company's line of business that a reader could weigh differently.
| Greg Abbott | Dan Patrick | Ken Paxtonhis own committees | Ken Paxtonwith the super PAC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raised | $507.8M | $129.4M | $79.8M | $109.5M |
| From oil and gas | $82.8M | $18.8M | $10.8M | $13.7M |
| Share | 16.3% | 14.6% | 13.5% | 12.5% |
| Next industry | Securities & Investment | Real Estate | Securities & Investment | Tech & Internet |
| Next industry gave | $48.5M | $12.0M | $5.6M | $12.8M |
| Oil and gas, narrower definition | $64.9M | $15.9M | $10.2M | $12.9M |
| Share with judgment calls dropped | 14.0% | 13.6% | 12.2% | 11.2% |
| Period | June 2001 to Oct. 24, 2026 (Texans for Greg Abbott) | 2008 to Oct. 24, 2026 (Texans for Dan Patrick) | 2002 to Oct. 2026 (state account 2002-2024; Ken Paxton for Senate and Paxton Victory, 2026 cycle) | same as above, plus Lone Star Liberty PAC, 2026 cycle |
This election cycle
January 1, 2025 through the last reports filed before the election. Paxton's federal committees cover the 2026 cycle.
| Greg Abbott | Dan Patrick | Ken Paxtonjoint committee | Ken Paxtonthree committees | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raised | $117.6M | $26.5M | $12.0M | $64.1M |
| From oil and gas | $19.7M | $4.7M | $2.9M | $6.3M |
| Share | 16.8% | 17.8% | 23.9% | 9.8% |
| Next industry | Securities & Investment | Real Estate | Securities & Investment | Tech & Internet |
| Next industry gave | $11.1M | $2.8M | $1.2M | $12.1M |
| Oil and gas, narrower definition | $15.0M | $3.9M | $2.7M | $5.8M |
| Share with judgment calls dropped | 14.1% | 16.8% | 19.2% | 8.4% |
| Period | Jan. 1, 2025 to Oct. 24, 2026 | Jan. 1, 2025 to Oct. 24, 2026 | 2026 cycle (Paxton Victory) | 2026 cycle (Senate campaign, joint committee, super PAC) |
The industries behind each man
The eight largest industries over each man's career, as a share of everything he raised. Money from donors with no employer listed has no industry and is left out of the bars, though it counts in each total.
The largest oil and gas donors
The ten largest oil and gas donors to each man, with the reason each counts, how that was decided and sample contribution ids from the filings.
Greg Abbott
Whole career
| # | Donor and filed employer | Gave | Why oil and gas | Gifts | Sample ids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ANWAR, S JAVAIDMidland Energy Inc. | $16.1M | Midland Energy Inc. president (filed employer)Decided by reporter review. | 112 | 150447103 150450626 150458278 |
| 2 | WARREN, KELCYEnergy Transfer | $4.5M | Kelcy Warren, Executive Chairman; midstreamDecided by known company or person. | 13 | 150473261 155538682 115455724 |
| 3 | GRAHAM, JAY (Spur Energy Partners)Spur Energy Partners ; WildHorse Resources | $3.4M | Spur Energy Partners (filed employer): Permian Northwest Shelf oil and gas producer formed 2019 with KKR; Jay Graham CEO, former WildHorse CEO (Hart Energy, KKR release)Decided by reporter review. | 19 | 150473503 155562086 108248746 |
| 4 | FOSTER, PAULFranklin Mountain Management ; Western Refining Company | $3.3M | Founder and former chairman of Western Refining (El Paso refiner, sold 2017); Patrick filing lists employer 'Western Refining, Chairman' in 2025-26; Franklin Mountain Energy (his current firm's affiliate) invests in upstream and midstream (Franklin Mountain Investments site via search 2026-10-29).Decided by reporter review. Judgment call. | 24 | 150473265 153322973 108196082 |
| 5 | HUNT, RAY (Hunt Consolidated; incl. Nancy Ann Hunt)Hunt Consolidated Inc. ; Hunt Consolidated, Inc. ; Retired | $2.7M | Hunt Consolidated / Hunt Oil (filed employer); Nancy Ann Hunt is his spouse, same zipDecided by known company or person. | 22 | 150467934 150467935 155553220 |
| 6 | MARTIN, GARYFalcon Bay Energy, LLC | $2.6M | Falcon Bay Energy LLC (filed employer, president) is a Texas oil and gas operator (Sutton County wells; Midland office) per texas-drilling.com and shalexp.comDecided by reporter review. | 204 | 149746114 150445371 150473521 |
| 7 | KINDER, NANCYKinder Foundation | $2.3M | Kinder Foundation (filed employer); wife of Richard Kinder, Kinder Morgan co-founder and executive chairman (midstream); family memberDecided by reporter review. Judgment call. | 14 | 153315584 108208408 108278451 |
| 8 | HILDEBRAND, JEFFERY (Hilcorp; incl. Melinda Hildebrand)Hilcorp Energy Company ; US Dept of State | $2.0M | wife of Jeffery Hildebrand (Hilcorp); files with him; 2019 filing under SelfDecided by reporter review. | 17 | 153316359 155563403 108202557 |
| 9 | BAGGETT, DAVIDOpportune LLP | $1.9M | Opportune LLP (filed employer), Houston energy consulting firm whose practice is upstream, midstream and downstream oil and gas (firm site; Oil and Gas Investor 2025 names Baggett chairman and managing partner); Patrick filing gives occupation 'Energy Consulting Firm'. Judgment: industry consultant counted as industry.Decided by reporter review. Judgment call. | 24 | 150473506 153315582 108263592 |
| 10 | CAMPBELL, CODY (Double Eagle; incl. Tara Campbell)Double Eagle Development LLC | $1.5M | Double Eagle; Cody Campbell files under two Fort Worth zips; Tara Campbell is his spouseDecided by known company or person. | 16 | 150451827 150470876 153313891 |
This election cycle
| # | Donor and filed employer | Gave | Why oil and gas | Gifts | Sample ids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ANWAR, S JAVAIDMidland Energy Inc. | $4.4M | Midland Energy Inc. president (filed employer)Decided by reporter review. | 20 | 150447103 150450626 150458278 |
| 2 | WARREN, KELCYEnergy Transfer | $1.5M | Kelcy Warren, Executive Chairman; midstreamDecided by known company or person. | 4 | 150473261 155538682 146069463 |
| 3 | CAMPBELL, CODY (Double Eagle; incl. Tara Campbell)Double Eagle Development LLC | $840,000 | Double Eagle; Cody Campbell files under two Fort Worth zips; Tara Campbell is his spouseDecided by known company or person. | 7 | 150451827 150470876 153313891 |
| 4 | BAGGETT, DAVIDOpportune LLP | $763,258 | Opportune LLP (filed employer), Houston energy consulting firm whose practice is upstream, midstream and downstream oil and gas (firm site; Oil and Gas Investor 2025 names Baggett chairman and managing partner); Patrick filing gives occupation 'Energy Consulting Firm'. Judgment: industry consultant counted as industry.Decided by reporter review. Judgment call. | 4 | 150473506 153315582 146072502 |
| 5 | DUNCAN, JAN (widow of Enterprise Products founder Dan Duncan)Retired | $750,000 | Jan Duncan, widow of Dan Duncan, founder of Enterprise Products Partners (midstream); family member; filed retired under two spellingsDecided by known company or person. | 3 | 150446956 153315585 146068866 |
| 6 | FOSTER, PAULFranklin Mountain Management | $750,000 | Founder and former chairman of Western Refining (El Paso refiner, sold 2017); Patrick filing lists employer 'Western Refining, Chairman' in 2025-26; Franklin Mountain Energy (his current firm's affiliate) invests in upstream and midstream (Franklin Mountain Investments site via search 2026-10-29).Decided by reporter review. Judgment call. | 3 | 150473265 153322973 146068876 |
| 7 | HILDEBRAND, JEFFERY (Hilcorp; incl. Melinda Hildebrand)Hilcorp Energy Company ; US Dept of State | $750,000 | Hilcorp Energy (filed employer); Melinda Hildebrand (ambassador) is his spouse, same zipDecided by known company or person. | 3 | 153316359 155563403 146071585 |
| 8 | HUNT, RAY (Hunt Consolidated; incl. Nancy Ann Hunt)Hunt Consolidated, Inc. ; Retired | $750,000 | Hunt Consolidated / Hunt Oil (filed employer); Nancy Ann Hunt is his spouse, same zipDecided by known company or person. | 5 | 150467934 150467935 155553220 |
| 9 | SELLERS, JOHNDouble Eagle Development | $750,000 | Campbell and Sellers (Double Eagle, Permian producer)Decided by known company or person. | 3 | 150473243 155553216 146069444 |
| 10 | GRAHAM, JAY (Spur Energy Partners)Spur Energy Partners | $725,000 | Spur Energy Partners (filed employer): Permian Northwest Shelf oil and gas producer formed 2019 with KKR; Jay Graham CEO, former WildHorse CEO (Hart Energy, KKR release)Decided by reporter review. | 3 | 150473503 155562086 146071508 |
Dan Patrick
Whole career
| # | Donor and filed employer | Gave | Why oil and gas | Gifts | Sample ids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SCHARBAUER, DOUGLAS (Midland; oil consultant, mineral owner)Midland Oil ; Midland Oil Operater ; Self ; Self-Employed | $1.5M | Douglas Scharbauer, Midland; filed occupation Oil Consultant to Patrick; mineral owner (Scharbauer ranch and oil family)Decided by reporter review. | 11 | 152859939 155063321 119748773 |
| 2 | DUNCAN, JAN (widow of Enterprise Products founder Dan Duncan)Retired | $905,000 | Jan Duncan, widow of Dan Duncan, founder of Enterprise Products Partners (midstream); family member; filed retired under two spellingsDecided by known company or person. | 6 | 151001880 129932070 140603795 |
| 3 | HUNT, RAY (Hunt Consolidated; incl. Nancy Ann Hunt)CEO ; Hunt Consolidated Inc. ; Hunt Consolidated, Inc. | $900,000 | Hunt Consolidated / Hunt Oil (filed employer); Nancy Ann Hunt is his spouse, same zipDecided by known company or person. | 8 | 155063287 114423858 115393108 |
| 4 | CAMPBELL, CODY (Double Eagle; incl. Tara Campbell)Double Eagle ; Double Eagle Development ; Double Eagle Energy Holdings | $845,000 | Double Eagle; Cody Campbell files under two Fort Worth zips; Tara Campbell is his spouseDecided by known company or person. | 13 | 155063469 110789411 110795390 |
| 5 | STALLINGS, KYLE (Desert Royalty; incl. Jamie Stallings)Desert Royalty ; Desert Royalty Company, LLC ; Permian Basin Acquisition Fund ; | $816,854 | Desert Royalty / Permian Basin Acquisition Fund (filed employers); spouse files from the same zipDecided by known company or person. | 27 | 152860301 155063329 110791801 |
| 6 | DUNN, TIMOTHYCrownquest Operating, L.L.C. | $557,204 | CrownQuest; Tim DunnDecided by known company or person. | 5 | 152856466 112669987 115393436 |
| 7 | FOSTER, PAULWestern Refining ; Western Refining Company | $552,500 | Founder and former chairman of Western Refining (El Paso refiner, sold 2017); Patrick filing lists employer 'Western Refining, Chairman' in 2025-26; Franklin Mountain Energy (his current firm's affiliate) invests in upstream and midstream (Franklin Mountain Investments site via search 2026-10-29).Decided by reporter review. Judgment call. | 11 | 155063470 110791756 113006186 |
| 8 | ANWAR, S JAVAIDMidland Energy Inc ; Midland Energy, Inc. | $545,000 | Midland Energy Inc. president (filed employer)Decided by reporter review. | 7 | 126964389 129932060 138456860 |
| 9 | WARREN, KELCYEnergy Transfer ; Energy Transfer Partners | $500,000 | Kelcy Warren, Executive Chairman; midstreamDecided by known company or person. | 5 | 114703180 116216586 118225815 |
| 10 | HILDEBRAND, JEFFERY (Hilcorp; incl. Melinda Hildebrand)Hilcorp ; Hilcorp Energy Company ; Privateer Capital Management | $450,000 | Hilcorp Energy (filed employer); Melinda Hildebrand (ambassador) is his spouse, same zipDecided by known company or person. | 5 | 152857502 114467487 136881478 |
This election cycle
| # | Donor and filed employer | Gave | Why oil and gas | Gifts | Sample ids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CAMPBELL, CODY (Double Eagle; incl. Tara Campbell)Double Eagle Development ; Double Eagle Energy Holdings | $450,000 | Double Eagle; Cody Campbell files under two Fort Worth zips; Tara Campbell is his spouseDecided by known company or person. | 3 | 155063469 146088526 148873852 |
| 2 | DUNCAN, JAN (widow of Enterprise Products founder Dan Duncan)Retired | $400,000 | Jan Duncan, widow of Dan Duncan, founder of Enterprise Products Partners (midstream); family member; filed retired under two spellingsDecided by known company or person. | 2 | 151001880 146088534 |
| 3 | SCHARBAUER, DOUGLAS (Midland; oil consultant, mineral owner)Self ; Self-Employed | $350,000 | filed occupation 'Oil Consultant' to Patrick; Scharbauer family mineral rights; P.O. Box 2888 Midland on every committeeDecided by known company or person. | 3 | 152859939 155063321 146088566 |
| 4 | TEXANS UNITED FOR A CONSERVATIVE MAJORITY PAC | $350,000 | Dunn PAC (TUCM); Tackett 2026-10-28Decided by known company or person. | 1 | 146502011 |
| 5 | SELLERS, JOHNDouble Eage Development ; Double Eagle Development | $325,000 | Campbell and Sellers (Double Eagle, Permian producer)Decided by known company or person. | 2 | 155063474 146088570 |
| 6 | STALLINGS, KYLE (Desert Royalty; incl. Jamie Stallings)Desert Royalty ; Desert Royalty Company, LLC | $300,000 | Desert Royalty / Permian Basin Acquisition Fund (filed employers); spouse files from the same zipDecided by known company or person. | 3 | 152860301 155063329 146088574 |
| 7 | DUNN, LUKECrownquest Operating, L.L.C. | $250,000 | CrownQuest; Tim DunnDecided by known company or person. | 1 | 152856465 |
| 8 | DUNN, TIMOTHYCrownquest Operating, L.L.C. | $250,000 | CrownQuest; Tim DunnDecided by known company or person. | 1 | 152856466 |
| 9 | ARNOLD, GREGThe Arnold Companies | $200,000 | Saul's ruling 2026-10-29: petrochemicals, fuel wholesale/distribution and fuel hauling are oil industry;. The Arnold Companies (filed employer), Texarkana: fuel distribution and truck stops (Truman Arnold Companies); fuel distribution not countedDecided by reporter review. | 2 | 152855123 146481927 |
| 10 | HILDEBRAND, JEFFERY (Hilcorp; incl. Melinda Hildebrand)Hilcorp Energy Company ; Privateer Capital Management | $200,000 | Hilcorp Energy (filed employer); Melinda Hildebrand (ambassador) is his spouse, same zipDecided by known company or person. | 2 | 152857502 146481941 |
Ken Paxton
Whole career
Largest oil and gas donors to his state account.
| # | Donor and filed employer | Gave | Why oil and gas | Gifts | Sample ids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DUNN, TIMOTHYCrownQuest Operating, LLC ; Crownquest Operating Llc | $820,000 | CrownQuest; Tim DunnDecided by known company or person. | 9 | 108383142 113242733 113849790 |
| 2 | WILKS, FARRISWilks Brothers ; Wilks Brothers LLC | $675,000 | Dan and Farris Wilks; shale fortuneDecided by known company or person. | 7 | 108386808 108389355 113856745 |
| 3 | STALLINGS, KYLE (Desert Royalty; incl. Jamie Stallings)Desert Royalty Company ; Desert Royalty Company LLC ; Retired ; Self ; Self Empl | $507,500 | Desert Royalty / Permian Basin Acquisition Fund (filed employers); spouse files from the same zipDecided by known company or person. | 18 | 108387521 108389586 108391547 |
| 4 | WILKS, DANWilks Brothers LLC | $351,000 | Dan and Farris Wilks; shale fortuneDecided by known company or person. | 4 | 108389337 115358209 115618801 |
| 5 | SCHARBAUER, DOUGLAS (Midland; oil consultant, mineral owner)Oil Cattle and Investment ; self | $350,000 | Douglas Scharbauer, Midland; filed occupation Oil Consultant to Patrick; mineral owner (Scharbauer ranch and oil family)Decided by reporter review. | 2 | 119184049 125433587 |
| 6 | ANWAR, JAVAIDMidland Energy ; Midland Energy Inc Petroplex Energy | $300,000 | S. Javaid Anwar, Midland Energy Inc CEODecided by known company or person. | 4 | 128777910 133889218 136136638 |
| 7 | ANWAR, JAVAIDMidland Energy, Inc. | $295,000 | S. Javaid Anwar, Midland Energy Inc CEODecided by known company or person. | 7 | 115358001 117176687 119181030 |
| 8 | HOLMES, WILLIAMMid States Operating Company ; President ; Self ; Self-Employed ; oil & gas ; se | $259,741 | filed employer or occupation names 'oil'Decided by filed employer. | 14 | 108391539 108391541 113242746 |
| 9 | SCHARBAUER, DOUGSelf-Employed | $250,000 | Douglas Scharbauer under a short first nameDecided by reporter review. | 1 | 140208381 |
| 10 | THRC HOLDINGS LP | $250,000 | Wilks family holding company, Cisco 76437: general partner THRC Management LLC managed by Dan Wilks; 10% owner of ProFrac, Flotek and Solaris, oilfield services (LEI record; corporationwiki; gurufocus)Decided by reporter review. | 2 | 130042821 138833440 |
This election cycle
Largest oil and gas donors across his 3 committees (Senate campaign, joint committee, super PAC).
| # | Donor and filed employer | Gave | Why oil and gas | Gifts | Sample ids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SCHARBAUER, DOUGLAS (Midland; oil consultant, mineral owner)super PAC · MIDLAND CHAMBER OF COMMERCE | $1.2M | filed occupation 'Oil Consultant' to Patrick; Scharbauer family mineral rights; P.O. Box 2888 Midland on every committeeDecided by known company or person. | 6 | SA11AI.4364 SA11AI.4436 SA11AI.4592 |
| 2 | MCDONALD, JOHNNY (Lubbock oil producer; incl. SSC Inc, Baloney Feathers Ltd, Two Toads Holdings, spouse Timmie)super PAC | $510,000 | Johnny McDonald filed occupation OIL PRODUCER to Paxton Victory; SSC Inc, Baloney Feathers Ltd, Two Toads Holdings and 'Charlene McDonald, Johnny' all file from his P.O. Box 1586, Lubbock 79408 (FEC street field)Decided by known company or person. | 5 | SA11AI.4397 SA11AI.4565 SA11AI.4563 |
| 3 | GORDY, RUSSELL (SG Interests; incl. Glenda Gordy)joint committee · RETIRED ; S.G. BUSINESS SERVICES, L.T.D. | $350,000 | Founder of SG Interests (oil and gas E&P, est. 1989), president of Gordy Oil Co. and Gordy Gas Corp. (SHSU alumni bio); Capital & Main 2026-10-22 calls him oil and gas and real estate. Filed employer S.G. Business Services.Decided by reporter review. Judgment call. | 4 | SA11AI.SA11A.30671010 SA11AI.SA11A.30671011 SA11AI.SA11A.31251798 |
| 4 | MCDONALD, JOHNNY (Lubbock oil producer; incl. SSC Inc, Baloney Feathers Ltd, Two Toads Holdings, spouse Timmie)joint committee · HOMEMAKER ; SELF-EMPLOYED | $300,000 | Johnny McDonald filed occupation OIL PRODUCER to Paxton Victory; SSC Inc, Baloney Feathers Ltd, Two Toads Holdings and 'Charlene McDonald, Johnny' all file from his P.O. Box 1586, Lubbock 79408 (FEC street field)Decided by known company or person. | 3 | SA11AI.SA11A.30705171 SA11AI.SA11A.31148919 SA11AI.SA11A.31148918 |
| 5 | CAMPBELL, CODY (Double Eagle; incl. Tara Campbell)joint committee · DOUBLE EAGLE ENERGY ; HOMEMAKER | $299,300 | Double Eagle; Cody Campbell files under two Fort Worth zips; Tara Campbell is his spouseDecided by known company or person. | 2 | SA11AI.SA11A.30605036 SA11AI.SA11A.31130232 |
| 6 | SCHARBAUER, DOUGLAS (Midland; oil consultant, mineral owner)joint committee · SELF-EMPLOYED | $274,300 | filed occupation 'Oil Consultant' to Patrick; Scharbauer family mineral rights; P.O. Box 2888 Midland on every committeeDecided by known company or person. | 1 | SA11AI.SA11A.30627655 |
| 7 | SELLERS, JOHNjoint committee · DOUBLE EAGLE ENERGY | $274,300 | Campbell and Sellers (Double Eagle, Permian producer)Decided by known company or person. | 1 | SA11AI.SA11A.30691791 |
| 8 | WILKS, FARRISjoint committee · WILKS BROTHERS, LLC | $250,000 | Dan and Farris Wilks; shale fortuneDecided by known company or person. | 1 | SA11AI.SA11A.30924440 |
| 9 | GORDY, RUSSELL (SG Interests; incl. Glenda Gordy)super PAC · S.G. Business Services L.T.D. | $250,000 | Founder of SG Interests (oil and gas E&P, est. 1989), president of Gordy Oil Co. and Gordy Gas Corp. (SHSU alumni bio); Capital & Main 2026-10-22 calls him oil and gas and real estate. Filed employer S.G. Business Services.Decided by reporter review. Judgment call. | 1 | SA11AI.5008 |
| 10 | BISHOP, GEORGEjoint committee · GEOSOUTHERN ENERGY | $200,000 | Molleston (GeoSouthern); GeoSouthern Energy, producerDecided by known company or person. | 1 | SA11AI.SA11A.31210891 |
| 11 | CHEVRON EMPLOYEES POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE CHEVRON CORPORATIONsuper PAC | $200,000 | producerDecided by known company or person. | 1 | SA11C.4919 |
| 12 | HOLMES, WILLIAMsuper PAC · SELF-EMPLOYED | $175,000 | filed employer or occupation names 'OIL'Decided by filed employer. | 4 | SA11AI.4438 SA11AI.4794 SA11AI.5011 |
| 13 | PENLAND, JOEjoint committee · QUALITY MAT COMPANY | $108,500 | Quality Mat Company (filed employer), Beaumont: maker of rig mats and access mats for oil and gas drilling sites; oilfield supplierDecided by reporter review. Judgment call. | 2 | SA11AI.SA11A.30787508 SA11AI.SA11A.30989589 |
| 14 | COX, EDWINjoint committee · SELF-EMPLOYED | $100,000 | filed self-employed investor, Athens TX; the Dallas Cox family fortune is oil (Edwin L. Cox Co., Cox Oil & Gas; grandson Bradley Cox chairs Cox Oil Co.) per Dallas Morning News 2020. Identity as a family member is inferred from name and regionDecided by reporter review. Judgment call. | 1 | SA11AI.SA11A.30973643 |
| 15 | HARRISON, LAURIEjoint committee · ROSEWOOD CORPORATION | $100,000 | Rosewood Corporation (filed employer); 'Oil & Gas/Executive Director' on the Abbott filingDecided by reporter review. | 1 | SA11AI.SA11A.30661926 |
How this was counted
Method
What counts as oil and gas. Producers, oilfield service companies, royalty and mineral owners, refiners, pipelines, petrochemical makers, fuel wholesalers and haulers, their trade groups and political committees, and the families and investment vehicles that hold oil fortunes. Retail convenience stores are not counted. Utilities, power generators and diversified fortunes with an oil arm are kept apart as other energy.
How each donor was classified. Three passes, kept separate in the data: words in the filed employer and occupation, a list of known oil and gas companies, executives and families, and a review of the largest donors, each with a written reason. Reviews ran from the largest donor down.
Which money is counted. Every itemized contribution to each man's main campaign committee, including in-kind gifts, net of superseded reports. For Paxton, his state candidate account and, in 2026, his Senate campaign and joint fundraising committee; the tables also show a version that adds the super PAC backing him. Transfers between a man's own committees are not counted twice. Abbott's judicial campaigns of the 1990s and his officeholder account are not included.
Other industries. Assigned from the filed employer or, for the largest donors, by review, using OpenSecrets' categories. Committees that pass money along are counted as committees, not traced to their own donors.
Check it yourself
Each file below is a plain spreadsheet. To check a total, keep the oil and gas rows for one committee in the contributions file and add up the amounts. To check one gift, search the filer id on the Texas Ethics Commission site, open the report and find the contribution id.
findings.csv(2 KB). Headline totals, shares and next industry, whole careers and this cycle.industries.csv(8 KB). The eight largest industries giving to each man.oil_donors.csv(23 KB). The largest oil and gas donors, with the reason each counts.sources.csv(2 KB). Filings and references used.sensitivity.csv(1 KB). Each share with every judgment call dropped.report_check_tec.csv(37 KB). Each state report: its filed total against our rows.report_check_fec.csv(1 KB). Each of Paxton's federal filings: its summary line against our rows.oil_and_energy_contributions.csv(2.5 MB). Every filed contribution from an oil and gas or other-energy donor.
The full fact-check package, with every donor to every committee, the rulings behind each classification, the code and instructions for rebuilding it all from the public filings, is at github.com/saulbanov/texas-oil-money-data.
Using this data. Federal law bars using the names of individual contributors taken from FEC reports to solicit contributions or for any commercial purpose. Use these files for reporting, research and checking. They carry no street addresses or phone numbers. Federal committees may plant up to ten fictitious names in their reports to catch misuse, so a federal row could be a decoy. Data and text are licensed CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, the same terms OpenSecrets uses; credit Saul Elbein, Future Heist. Code is MIT-licensed.
Sources
| Source | What it supplies | Where | Identifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Ethics Commission campaign finance bulk export (TEC_CF_CSV.zip) | every itemized contribution to Texans for Greg Abbott (filer 00051153), Texans for Dan Patrick (00064090) and Ken Paxton (00051407), with contributor name, employer, occupation, date and amount | https://prd.tecprd.ethicsefile.com/public/cf/public/TEC_CF_CSV.zip | downloaded 2026-10-29; zip sha256 3d4fb840ab2ffe8af07a89152853a6c9bf9d9caf24494239719a12928ed6d578 |
| Texas Ethics Commission campaign finance search | the filer ids above and each report, to check any row by its contribution id | https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/search/cf/ | filers 00051153, 00064090, 00051407 |
| FEC: Ken Paxton for Senate | 2026-cycle receipts and itemized contributions | https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00901918/?cycle=2026 | C00901918; total receipts 22319359.05 through 2026-10-14 |
| FEC: Paxton Victory (joint fundraising committee) | 2026-cycle receipts and the donors behind its transfers | https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00952218/?cycle=2026 | C00952218; total receipts 12047495.63 |
| FEC: Lone Star Liberty PAC (super PAC backing Paxton) | 2026-cycle receipts and itemized contributions | https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00901223/?cycle=2026 | C00901223; total receipts 29696321.83 |
| OpenSecrets, Industries by Sector | the sector and industry labels the industry ranking uses | https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/slist | read 2026-10-30; saved copy sha256 f6107f470c08469ba050fae77a20abe44e418de33b5b748710cda657ce7ef2f7 |